Little Red Riding Rose
by starwenn
Summary: Rose Tico is delivering a basket of goodies to Leia Organa, her mentor who has fractured her ankle...but there's a big, bad black wolf who would love to have both ladies for supper, or worse!


**Little Red Riding Rose**

Rating: PG

Pairings: None

Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company.

Once upon a time, in a deep, dark forest, lived a girl named Rose Tico. She lived with her sister Paige in a small cottage surrounded by fir trees. Their parents had been dead for years, but they'd largely been raised by each other and the community of woodsmen and hunters who lived in the forest. Rose was a wonderful carpenter and mechanic who often spent the whole day aiding other woodcutters and hunters in repairing their weapons, or fixing a grist mill's wheel so that it ground grain as fine as sand. Her sister often came home so late, Paige gave Rose a bright scarlet cloak to make her more visible to hunters at night.

One day, Paige gave her sister a basket of bread, cheese, and apples along with her usual tool belt and cape. "Luke Skywalker, the head woodsman, has asked me if you could fix his sister Leia's stove. Luke was called away on business, and her husband Han is a sailor who won't be in port for over a week. Leia would normally do it herself, but she tripped over a rock in her garden and twisted her ankle."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind!" Rose threw her cloak over her shoulders. "Leia and Han are kind people. They've always been very nice to me. Han tells the best stories of his time at sea, and Leia has recommended me to her friends in town for several jobs. The Woodsman Luke is the oldest and most respected woodcutter in the forest."

"The basket is for your lunch. Share it with Leia! Luke told me she's feeling grouchy and out-of-sorts because of her accident." Paige waved a finger at her sister. "And be careful! The forest is filled with wolves and bears and even scarier things. Magical things. Evil magic lurks in those woods. I've heard of maidens who were eaten by animals, or spirited away by terrible sorcerers or magicians."

Rose laughed. "That's only gossip, Paige. You worry too much. I walk through the woods every day!"

The first person she met on the path was the Woodcutter Finn and his good friend, the Huntsman Poe. Poe was accompanied by BB, his faithful orange and white hound. BB nudged her leg, whining for a treat.

"I suppose you smell the goodies." Rose gave him a bit of cheese. "Here you go!" She patted the dog as he noisily slurped up the Gouda.

Poe laughed. "Are you spoiling my dog again, Mistress Rose?"

"Goodness knows you don't!" Rose snickered. She'd been friends with Poe and Finn for years. "You run that dog ragged, looking for your old rabbits and quail."

"We're after bigger game today." He scratched BB between the ears. "Wolves have been seen attacking livestock in town. We're worried they may start going after larger animals next, including cattle."

"Oh, I doubt they'd do that." Rose made a face. "If they attacked cows, they'd be trampled."

"Those lazy things?" Finn shook his head before he split another hunk of oak. "A cow wouldn't have sense enough to run from a stinging nettle, never mind a wolf!"

Rose frowned. "I haven't heard of any wolves around here for years. I thought they were all hunted down."

"This one just started to appear last week." Finn spoke softer. "The way people talk...I don't think he's a wolf."

"What do you mean?" Poe raised an eyebrow.

"I think he's a shape-shifter." The dark-skinned woodcutter shuddered. "They say the Knights of Ren roam these woods. They're the minions of the evil magician Lord Snoke. Leia's son, Kylo Ren, was a sorcerer who fell in with Snoke and the Knights. Beware of him, Rose. The forest is full of creatures like him, and real wolves too. They'll eat you alive...the human ones and the real ones."

"I'm fine, Finn." She gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I know what I'm doing. Why don't you meet me at Leia's house when you're done? She could probably use that wood for her stove after I finish fixing it."

Poe smirked as his friend blushed. "Well, well. If you turn any redder, Finn, you'll blend in with her cape."

"Well, yes, um..." Finn quickly turned to his wood. "This isn't going to chop itself. I'll see you then."

Rose grinned at his flushed cheeks. Poe nearly fell over laughing. She waved to him as she, Poe, and BB made their way down the dirt path into the woods.

"This is as far as I'm going." Poe stopped when they found themselves at the fork between the main forest and the road to Leia Organa-Solo's home. "If you need us, BB and I will be just up the road where the trees are thicker."

"I'll be all right, Poe. I can take care of myself." Rose smiled at him. "Thank you anyway!" She gave BB one last bit of Gouda before moving on her way.

Rose shuddered. The path she took lead into the deepest part of the forest, where the trees were so tall and black, they blotted out the sun. Soft moss and fine grass bounced underfoot. Leaves rustled in the trees. In the distance, she heard a movement in the brush as a rabbit leaped out of its hole.

"It's just the bunny," the girl reminded herself. "Nothing to be scared of. This is the woods. You walk here everyday. There's no large animals here."

"Oh, I wouldn't be sure about that." Two shining red eyes pierced the thick brush. "You never know what you'll find in the woods, child."

A huge black wolf stepped out of the bushes along the road. Rose had never seen anything like him. He was long and lean, with thick, sleek fur and a long, aquiline nose and sharp white teeth. His paws were larger than usual for a wolf, and his eyes were far more expressive. They glittered in the dim sun beams between the trees.

Rose stepped back. "H..Hello, Mr. Wolf. Good day to you."

"Hello, child." He stepped around her, like he was looking for a place to bite at the tender parts. "Where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm going to an older woman's house." Something about the wolf made the hair on the back of Rose's neck stand on end. She'd heard that there were a lot of strange and even magical animals in the forest, but she'd never knew there was a wolf that could talk. "She's hurt. I have lunch to share with her, and I need to fix her stove."

"Well, isn't that kind of you?" The wolf gave her a little half-grin. It reminded her of Captain Han's half-smirk when he was right about something. "You know, little old ladies appreciate flowers. There's a field of wildflowers just along that path there." He pointed his paw at a road off to his right. "Why don't you go pick her some? It won't take that long."

The girl frowned. "My sister did say that Mrs. Solo was grumpy because she can't move around."

"Why don't you pick her some flowers? That would make anyone feel better." The wolf's big smile showed pointy, gleaming white teeth. Rose was sure those teeth would cut her to ribbons if he decided to have her for lunch.

"What about you?" Rose watched him as he sniffed her. "Why are you suggesting this?"

"Oh, I'm just being a good neighbor." The wolf nudged her. "You're so nice and plump. I'll bet you're full of energy."

"Ok, now you're just scaring me." Rose started along the path. She pointed down the road that went back towards town. "My friend Poe would love to meet you. He's been looking for wolves all day."

"I know." The wolf twisted his muzzle into a grimace. "I've been avoiding him. He's the last one I want to meet." He sniffed a little further into Rose's red cape. "You're so...small...so juicy..."

She did not like the direction this conversation was going in. "Uh, bye!" Her feet darted down the nearest path as fast as they could take her. There was no way she was going to be a meal for some scrawny black dog!

At least he was telling the truth about the flowers. Within minutes, she came upon a meadow that was awash in sweet-smelling blossoms. Here, the sun was warm on her shoulders, warm enough to pull her hood off and loosen the cape from her shoulders. She stopped to pick the prettiest bouquet she could, then tied it with her blue hair ribbon and dropped it in the basket.

Leia's home wasn't far from there. It was slightly larger than most houses in the area, two stories with a tiny garden out front. She hoped Leia didn't mind that she was a bit late. It had taken her longer to gather flowers than she thought.

"Hello?" Rose popped her head in the house. The front parlor was sunny and elegant, filled with beautifully carved wooden chairs and jars of shells and shark's teeth that were mementos of Han Solo's years at sea. "Mrs. Solo? Leia?"

"In the bedroom, dear!" Came a muffled response from upstairs. "I'm waiting for you! Bring your basket!"

"Well, all right." Rose shivered. Despite the warm sun streaming into the house, she felt cold. Something wasn't right here. Her fingers wrapped around one of the iron wrenches in her tool belt.

"Hello?" A lump lay under the silken sheets on the massive king-sized canopy bed. Rose set the basket on the bedside table that was made from a crab trap. "Mrs. Leia? It's me, Rose Tico. I'm here to fix your stove."

A long, sleek nose and pointed ears popped out from under the blanket. A white ruffled cap was perched precariously between them. "Well, hello there, dear. Come closer, so I can see you."

Rose didn't like this, but she did as she was told. "Mrs. Solo, what a big nose you have."

"The better to smell you with, my dear." Mrs. Solo had a deep voice for a lady, but not that deep. A pair of red eyes peered out from under those ridiculous ruffles, looking her over like she was the blue-plate special.

She wasn't a fan of that, either. "Mrs. Solo, what big eyes you have!"

Those eyes pierced her soul. "The better to see you with, my dear. Come." His paws patted the bed next to him. "Join me, where I can get...er, see you better."

Rose really didn't like that at all. She drew back, her fingers wrapping around her belt. "Mrs. Solo, what big teeth you have!"

"The better to eat you with, you juicy little morsel!" The moment the huge black wolf sprang out of the bed, she was ready. It howled when she slammed her wrench over its head.

"Where's Mrs. Solo?" Rose pulled back, brandishing the wrench. "Did you kill her? Was she your last meal?"

The wolf growled, glaring at the wrench. "No. I couldn't eat her. She's locked in the closet downstairs. You, however, I have no such feelings for."

"Don't come any closer!" The girl walloped his nose with the wrench again. This time, he just barely managed to avoid it. "I'm not some innocent little girl. I know how to take care of myself."

"You're still a plump morsel I can draw energy from." He grabbed at her cape, trying to force her onto the bed.

"Hey, my sister made me that!" Rose yanked at her cape, finally tearing it enough to free herself. "You're fixing that!"

The wolf lunged for her. "Enough! You're mine, wrench girl!"

Rose screamed and dashed downstairs. She had to find Mrs. Solo and get them both out of here, before that wolf devoured them whole. "Mrs. Solo! Mrs. Solo! Where are you?"

"Rose?" Finn poked his head in the door. "What's going on? We could hear you screaming from half-way down the path."

Poe followed him in. BB the hound bounded after him. "We saw a black wolf on the path coming here just twenty minutes ago. I tried to get him then, but he ran off before I could get a clear shot."

"He's upstairs. He'll probably be down any minute!" Rose screamed again as the black wolf charged downstairs. "And here he comes!"

BB tried to attack him, but the wolf knocked him away easily with his big paw. "You leave that poor dog alone!" Rose walloped him in the rear with her wrench. "What did he ever do to you?"

"That mutt tried to attack me!" The wolf charged at Poe next as he raised his gun. "Don't even think about it, Dameron!"

Poe managed to dive away just in time. "Would you stop moving so I can shoot you?"

The wolf snarled at him. "Not a chance." 

"We have to find the closet on the first floor!" Rose grabbed Finn's hand as Poe shot at the wolf. "That's where Mrs. Solo is. The wolf told me."

"The wolf...what?" Finn didn't have the chance to ask more questions before they heard muffled yelling in a door behind them. "Wait. I recognize that voice."

"Mrs. Solo!" The moment the girl flung open the door, Leia Solo nearly tumbled out. She'd been bound with sheets, gagged with a lacy handkerchief, and dropped on the floor like a sack of potatoes. "Oh gosh, are you all right?"

"No." Leia's bark-brown eyes blazed as Finn tugged the bit of lace out of her mouth. "I know who the wolf is, though, and what he's after. Help me out of this. Finn, we'll need your ax. Rose, dear, hand me the cane next to the sofa."

"Yes, Mrs. Solo." Finn did as he was told. Leia's throaty voice was mad as a hornet caught in a spider's web. She wasn't a woman anyone would disobey, even when she was in a good mood. Right now, Rose was pretty sure she was ready to grab that gun and shoot the wolf herself.

Leia had no sooner got on her cane than the wolf came charging their way, chased by Poe and BB. "Finn, your ax! Cut off the wolf's head!"

Finn wrinkled his nose. "Ok, Mrs. Solo, but I think that's a bad idea. It'll get awfully messy in here."

"Finn!" Rose pushed Leia back as the wolf darted their way. "Just do it!"

The young woodsman lunged for the wolf, chopping off his head with one clean hack of his ax. To the surprise of everyone but Leia, the head didn't roll to the ground. A black light surrounded the head and body, allowing them to come together in the shape of a long, lanky human with thick, dark hair and an aquiline nose.

"Ben!" Poe's eyes widened as the tall young man managed to get to his feet. "That was you? Why were you a wolf?"

Ben glared at him under his black cape. "I was collecting magic for my master, the Lord Snoke. I thought too many people would recognize me as a human, so I turned into a wolf."

Leia frowned. "Ben, you're going to have to go into town to see the magistrate. I know that was you who killed the livestock at those farms."

"I had to have some magic to take to my master!" Ben made a face. "And it's Kylo Ren, Mother, not Ben!"

Rose's eyes widened. "Kylo Ren?" She whirled to Leia. "Your son is Kylo Ren?"

"Yes." The older woman sighed as Rose and Finn settled her down on her sofa, with a pillow behind her back. "Poe, see to it that he's taken to Magistrate Holdo in town. She'll have the perfect magic-absorbing jail cell for him."

Poe bowed. "Of course, Mrs. Solo." He poked Kylo Ren in the back. "Come on, Ben Solo. Let's go talk to Lady Holdo. If you're a really good boy, she might just let you off with ten days in jail for stealing the magic from animals." BB growled at him for good measure.

"It's not Ben!" The former wolf glared at him. "My name is Kylo Ren!"

"Sure it is." The huntsman rolled his eyes. "Let's just go."

"Mrs. Leia, I'm sorry," Rose said as soon as they left. "I shouldn't have told Kylo Ren where I was going."

"That's all right, dear." Leia patted her hand. "He grew up in this house. He would have come here sooner or later. It's more likely that he wanted to draw your energy and my magic and take it to his master. I have some magic, as does my brother Luke, but we don't use it that often. It tends to...unnerve people."

Finn sat on her other side. "I'm just glad I came with that ax when I did."

"So am I." Rose smiled kindly at him. "Thank you, Finn. You were wonderful."

"I was?" His cheeks flushed scarlet.

"You both were." Leia grinned at Rose. "Now, why don't we have something to eat before you two start in on that stove? I'm so famished, my stomach is starting to make more noises than my son as a wolf."

"Oh!" Rose ran upstairs and came down with her basket. "I brought lunch. It's from my sister. There's enough for all of us to share."

Finn grinned. "Great!" He jumped as another growling noise rumbled on the couch. "What was that?"

"That was my stomach, silly!" Rose giggled and kissed his cheek again. "Don't worry, my hero. I'll save you from the big, bad wolf."

Finn turned an even deeper shade of red. "Oh." He stayed red all through their meal.

 **The End**


End file.
